


Cassandra and Peter - Xover edition

by Amlia



Category: Love It or List It RPF, Property Brothers RPF
Genre: Crazy owners, Episode Related, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Gen, Sibling Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 15:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14428272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amlia/pseuds/Amlia
Summary: “The Love it or List it Vancouver has already reached its fifth season" Jillian presented, Todd by her side. “That is only because of the fan’s appreciation and love". He added.“Since our fans are so supportive, we decided to attend a request many of you sent on our social medias" Jillian winked. “ In our next episode we are gonna have the special participation of a well known team that too has gained many followers” Todd proudly declared.“The Property Brothers" Jillian exclaimed.





	Cassandra and Peter - Xover edition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NaTak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaTak/gifts).



> Nothing is mine but the idea. This does not show the real relationships between the people depicted into this fic. The programs are property of HGTV and W Network and probably others I forgot to list.
> 
> NaTak and I looked for a xover. It didn't exist the way we wanted. This is the outcome.  
> Good reading!

 

The idea came from the internet - like most ideas these days, and no, Jonathan is not old enough to think that with the sourness regarding the modern technologies kids use nowadays, thank you Drew - from twitter actually, and like the good hosts they are, the Scott brothers - and their executives, channel and personnel - listened to the fans' uprising.

Truth be told, Drew saw it first. They were in a rare moment of rest at home in Las Vegas, enjoying their salted water pool in the first rays of the Nevada's desert when the youngest twin, ever the cellphone addicted, waved said gadget at Jonathan's face.

"Hey, have you seen this?" He asked with amused eyes that spoke of future fun times and massive headaches, his brother would know. "It's actually a good idea".

"I have no clue what you're talking about," the contractor sighed, far too used to Drew's antics to recognise a bait, but too curious to let it slide, "and you are gonna tell me regardless of my wishes, so what's up?" He scooted closer to peek at the screen.

With a winning smile, the realtor showed his twitter, where a trending tag was currently gaining force and popularity. Jonathan's raised eyebrow earned a slightly pleading look from the other.

"Come on! Like we never talked about expanding the show," he poked the older in the ribs playfully, earning a slash of water in the face, "ouch! Salt, salt, salt!" He pretended to claw at his own eyes, while his brother rolled his.

"Yes, and that's where brother vs brother and buying & selling came from," he huffed, holding the proffered cellphone and handing a towel as apology to his still half-blinded sibling 

After the realtor gained some composure back, they stared at each other for a few moments, before grinning at the same time. The sync of identical twins.

"Sounds fun to me," Jonathan offered, laying back in the shallow water scrolling through the posts. Drew threw the towel away and bumped shoulders with the man, also checking the messages. Some tweets later he commented "you are so gonna owe me a glass of wine".

Jonathan barked a surprised laugh, shaking his head at his brother's competitivity. "I think you can stick to beer for me".

That prompted a water fight, that no one won since they weren't keeping scores, leaving the cellphone forgotten with the twitter opened with the searched tag:

_ #propertybrothersxoverloveitlistittoo _

o.O.o

The how wasn't as interesting as the where and when and what for Drew. So all he was aware of was that the Scott twins would make a guest appearance in one episode in the Love it or List it Vancouver in the upcoming season (winter), working on the two teams:  Jonathan in the love it and Drew in the list it (secretly, or not so for his brother or anyone who was a fan, Drew would have liked being in the Love it, because helping decorate was a passion).

Before an official release for the press, or even a message for the fans - just an ominously vague frase from Drew "we will look into it" - the hosts from both shows met in a lowkey hotel with their executives, directors and writers, where the details accorded by everyone were defined.

After the formalities, and a carefully discussed plan for marketing and such, Drew pulled Jonathan aside.

"How about we invite them for tea?" The realtor inquired, inclining his head to the other hosts still talking to their director. "You know, to understand their show a bit better and-"

"You just want and autograph from them," Jonathan interrupted with a knowing smile.

"I just want an autograph  _ and _ a picture with them," he added, not even trying to lie to his brother. "Todd is a really good realtor and Jillian makes magic with design, and whoever comes up with their banter is a genius".

"You know in a few days we are all going to get sick of taking photos together, right?" The older had to ask, though he wasn't expecting his brother to change his mind and was already leading the way to the couple.

"That's why I'm doing it now, so we are all truthfully happy for our first picture!" Drew exclaimed victoriously, knowing he had easily won that one. Jonathan only shook his head with an amused expression at his brother's joy, probably knowing how important it was for Drew to meet his idols outside their shows.

"Hey guys!" Drew approached with his easy grin and cool demeanor to hide his giddiness, Jonathan at his side as a quiet support with a polite smile to mask his exasperation. "How are we doing?" And Drew knew that the tiniest tweak he felt in his left eye was enough to tell his twin he might have regretted that greeting.

The other hosts didn't seem to mind nor perceive anything strange. "Just fine, thanks Drew," Todd replied also smiling with Jillian nodding along. "How about you?" She inquired smoothly back, gazing from one brother to another.

"We are good," Jonathan got their attention, like the illusionist he was, giving Drew time to carefully pull himself together. "Actually, we were wondering if you would be interested in meeting up sometime this week, maybe for lunch or coffee?" He smiled hopefully.

Jillian and Todd looked at each other quickly with surprised smiles, apparently waiting to see who would answer first. Drew almost never had that happen with his twin.

"That would be awesome!" Jillian ended up exclaiming, waving her hands slightly between her and Todd. "We are going to meet up with the crew tomorrow morning, but have the rest of the day clear. How about an afternoon tea?".

"That sounds perfect. I heard the hotel's restaurant is spectacular, maybe sometime by 3 o'clock?" Drew intervened with a dashing smile - or a desperate one, as Jonathan usually called it.

"It's a date" Jillian joked with mocking flirt eyes, and the four laughed at her antics before saying goodbye.

Later in Drew's room, Jonathan would taunt his brother's worry about choosing the best outfit for the next day meeting and, after a few thrown pillows later, would proceed to point out his favorite ones.

o.O.o

"So, where the idea for a water slide came from anyway?" Was asked well into the afternoon.

Jonathan had to hand it to Drew this time. Meeting up with Jillian and Todd was not only a precious opportunity  to get to know a bit better whom they would be working with, but also extremely entertaining.

And Drew was a fanboy.

"That was my brother's most profound desire." Drew was telling his captivated audience, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "He just had to get it done. It almost turned into a catastrophe, but I have to admit, the final product was worth it". The realtor sipped his iced tea, despite the upcoming season, before adding smoothly, "but, sometimes, less is better. I find your designs fascinating, Jillian, specially the most classical ones".

Totally a fanboy, Jonathan sipped his black coffee to conceal his smirk.

"Don't forget the space for your nephews, Drew," the oldest joked along. If his twin wanted to make fun of his particular desires, so be it. Retribution would be all that sweeter later. "You kept complaining about eating up half the yard just for them," he made an exaggeratedly disappointed face as he turned to the couple. "Such a cruel uncle".

"Are we talking about the not-taking-out-for-a-walk-due-to-laziness uncle, or the caring-and-overbearing kind?" Todd inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"The cool and suave uncle," Drew refuted, and that made all four laugh, probably for different reasons.

It was hilarious that the youngest thought himself suave. In his dreams, maybe.

That lead to a discussion about pets, and the brothers without much prompting started showing the best pictures of Gracie and Stewie, Jonathan proudly - those were his babies afterall - and Drew not missing any opportunity to comment about his brother's hairstyle through the years.

Jillian and Todd seemed entertained enough by the brothers and by the end of the outing didn't even blink when Jonathan casually suggested a selfie to mark the event. He was rather merciful for not commenting on Drew's bigger than usual smile as he took the photo.

o.O.o

Cassandra and Peter were a sweet retired couple living in a centenary house. They had one son who was already married and had a 5 year old daughter that loved visiting her grandparents.

The house had two rooms upstairs, one dated bathroom, a tiny kitchen, a cramped dining room and a living room packed with chinas and porcelain from all over the world. There was a big sized yard, with trees older than the house itself and a small pound.

They also had five dogs.

Cassandra wanted to find a bigger house, where they could accommodate her son, daughter in law and grandchild comfortably. She wanted space to exhibit her collection of crockery and for the dogs to sleep inside in the colder nights. The kitchen also had to be newer with open-concept, and the house should have one store only.

Peter believed that the home built by his own grandfather was more than enough for himself and his wife, and the five dogs, and the usual visitants. For him, some new colors on the wall and some changes here and there would make the house a pleasant place for Cassandra again.

o.O.o

“The Love it or List it Vancouver has already reached its fifth season" Jillian presented, Todd by her side. “That is only because of the fan’s appreciation and love". He added.

“Since our fans are so supportive, we decided to attend a request many of you sent on our social medias" Jillian winked. “ In our next episode we are gonna have the special participation of a well known team that too has gained many followers” Todd proudly declared.

“The Property Brothers" Jillian exclaimed. The twin promptly sided up to the usual hosts, they exchanged handshakes and hugs. The brothers thanked Jillian and Todd for the hospitality and gave a shout out to all of their fans that made that episode possible.

By the end of the presentation, Jillian turned to the camera. “ Since I got Jonathan on my team, I will definitely win. He has made so many renovations, anything else will be a breeze for us" Jonathan laughed and threw an arm over her shoulders.

“Well" Todd started. “Drew has found homes for incontable people, I know he and I will find the next family their perfect property”.

The two teams just gazed intently at each other, until the director called cut, and all four burst out laughing.

o.O.o

"God, where have they taken us now?" Jillian exclaimed while climbing the dirt track in the middle of the mountains, her high heels in hand. "Couldn't have been a place with insulation and some hot chocolate?".

Jonathan chuckled from his place a bit ahead, waiting for the short woman to catch up. "They are just show offs" he offered his hand to help her up a higher step "thank you" she smiled.

The constructor was thoroughly amused by the usual excentricities displayed in this show. Even if it was real pain to get to the meeting point.

He could only imagine his brother's consternation at having to exercise out of an air conditioned gym.

The love it team walked for some minutes more, until they reached a natural huddle of stones where their rivals stood with crossed arms and confident expressions, overlooking the beautiful valley below.

"What a view...!" Todd exclaimed, gesturing grandly to the nature around them, before continuing, "...to accompany us in our victory, isn't it, Drew?". The taller realtor closed his eyes and inspired deeply, before looking at his partner with satisfaction, "I can almost smell it, Todd".

Drew was totally digging the dramatical setting. And he called Jon a drama queen.

Jillian and Jonathan could only gaze at them with incredulity, before bursting out laughing. "Get down from there before one of you break something. Specially you, Drew, I heard you are the clumsy twin," Jillian admonished, already taking out her cellphone. "Come on, we have things to do, places to be and people to see".

Not diminished, Drew jumped from his patamar, approaching the others, while Todd chose to gingerly crouch before stepping down, as it was rather high for him.

"So eager for defeat, Jillian? Enjoy nature, look at the trees, listen to the birds, breath in the air." The realtor also reached for his cellphone.

"Wait until you see the list to claim victory, Todd," Jonathan warned, brushing a lock of hair displaced by the wind.

"Would you do the honors, Jonathan?" Jillian inquired, holding out her cell for the constructor, who took it with a small bow. "With pleasure, Jillian".

"To love it: update the kitchen in open-concept; create space for exhibiting collections; make a guest room; make a bathroom upstairs;  renovate the dogs' sleeping area; and install louder doorbell and smoke detectors- what?" Jonathan stopped with a laugh, making sure he had read that correctly. He and Drew had faced some interesting clients, however this was a new demand.

Jillian grabbed his arm to bring the screen closer to her, also intrigued by such request. Todd snickered in response. "Now that is a list, a lot of items, don't you think?". The love it team ignored him briefly, before turning to each other. "That sounds mostly aesthetic," Jillian commented, Jonathan nodded. "It should be easy enough, just the kitchen and bathroom should be a problem," he turned with a cocky smirk to his brother. "What about yours?".

Todd gave Drew the list with a flourish.

"To list it: 3 bedrooms; 2 bathrooms; kitchen with open-concept; big yard; one store only; space for the dogs inside  the house; space for collections; and ending with an even number- but-" Drew's confused expression made Jonathan crackle along with Jillian, while Todd couldn't help but also peer at the list to read for himself.

"See, you too have unique requests," Jillian crooned a little more, until Todd raised a hand to get their attention. "One more thing: safe area for a playroom. And that's our list" He huffed, looking a bit lost as he glanced at Drew's flabbergasted face.

"Well, let's get going, we will be late and, frankly, my feet are freezing!" Jillian jumped slightly in the same place to warm up, her stylish shoes still in hand.

The constructor winced a bit, remembering the woman's predicament and wondering if Todd had been mean enough to plan it. He was about to offer assistance, when his twin beat him to it.

"Please, allow me," Drew stepped closer and gathered Jillian in his arms - ever the scenic - caring her bridal style, before striding down the paved path on the other side of the stones. She wound her arms around his neck and winked at Todd, delighted. "Now this is a gentleman!".

The realtor observed the moving pair expressionlessly, and Jonathan decided to take pity. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "I can be a gentleman, if you want", Jonathan suggested with a shrug.

Todd appeared deep in though, until he also shrugged. "Sure, why not?" and was promptly heaved into a fireman hold around the constructor's shoulders. 

Both followed the others with deadpanned faces.

o.O.o

 

The four hosts approached the old house in the quiet neighbor. It was built with the exterior completely in wood and had a charming deck clustered with canine products.

"The locations is great," Drew was telling. "They are close to many services, mainly their usual health clinic and all their friends." He took a moment to take in the image of the quite run down home, suddenly remembering he was supposed to help the couple move out, not missing the pointed glances his brother and Todd gave him. "But Todd and I are going to find them something in a perfect place and with much more space".

The taller realtor might have brushed more roughly than necessary against the constructor's shoulder in the narrow path. The twin merely smirked and pushed back.

They climbed the stairs to the porch, side stepping toys and collars. Jonathan gingerly moved a frisbee out of to way to open the door. "Let's see what we are working with, shall we?"

The handle didn't budge.

Jonathan tried again with both hands, and still got nowhere. Drew was ashamed to call such man his brother when he was incapable of opening a door.

"Brutish strength isn't everything, Jon". With a confident smirk thrown over his shoulder to Jillian and Todd, he battered his brother aside and took hold of the handle.

His expression froze in his face, and he didn't dare look up to the knowing gaze his brother was directing at him.

"Let's go through the back," he withdrew, as if intending from the beginning to turn away.  He hid his embarrassment with confident strides. The other three accompanied him reining in the laughter.

They got inside through a side door. Drew was slightly appalled by this, and so were Jillian and Todd. Jonathan, the buff, seemed rather entertained. "Oh, I'm gonna love this," he murmured smiling absently, looking the house up and down.

He was the only one apparently.

"Okay..." Jillian started hesitantly, looking around the living room/dining room. "This is very-

-Cozy".

"-Cramped", Todd spoke over her. They faced each other for a few seconds, before the designer conceded the point with a shrug. "For now. After Jonathan and I are done with the place, there will be glassed built-in cabinets all over the room and it's going to look fantastic."

Drew, honestly, had never seen so many crockery pieces in one place. Not even in the antique stores where he loved hunting for out of time treasures. 

"What is that?" Todd exclaimed excitedly, striding further into the house and approaching the dining area. "Is this supposed to be the table? Now this is modern!" He immediately sat down in a cardboard box and scooted closer to the ironing board stacked with plates and silverware. “Please, take a seat,” the realtor pompously invited, gesturing to the boxes on the other side.

“Ladies first,” Jonathan directed, pulling the box as he would a chair for a date. Drew felt his twin’s discomfort at having to bend so low. “Thank you! I can clearly see you both took in your mother lessons very well.” Jillian seated herself before turning to her rival. “Unlike others”.

They laughed - more out of surprise than mirth, Drew thinks - and by the time Todd answered, they all are seated. “I’m a very polite man, Jillian. You just don’t appreciate me enough.”

All in all, Drew was very positive he and Todd could win. The renovation for this place would be tremendous - he could tell just from the work on the first floor - and not even the very capable Jonathan could make the couple love this house again.

o.O.o

They rounded the rest of the interior in a similar manner. Jonathan was not surprised to find that the reason the main entrance didn’t open was because there was a shelf with porcelain dolls in front of it.They were kind of cute.

Todd and Jillian seemed to disagree with him.

The kitchen was like most houses he had reformed - small and old, was that mold? - nothing too shocking there. The bathroom on the first floor definitely wasn’t the epitome of luxury, but was organized enough and functional. And everything had the distinct signals that many dogs ruled over the space completely, if the scratch and paw marks all over the walls and fur on the furniture were any hint.

What really worried him was upstairs.

The owners wanted a bathroom next to their room, which was reasonable, considering it must be a pain to climb down a flight of stairs every time to use the toilet. But the work necessary for redirecting plumbing would be a nightmare.

Jonathan was also dreading to start opening the walls. He was 98% sure to find unpleasant surprises. Afterall, it was as 112 year old house that had had no renovations in at least 15 years - that seemed to be the age of the bathroom downstairs.

What pained him the most, was that Drew was sharply aware of all these technicalities and kept smiling more and more after each room.

Todd was also riding in the high with Drew - they had totally got on like a house on fire since day one - and Jillian stayed as positive as possible, but Jonathan felt for her.

The constructor was concerned, what with not yet knowing the budget and all the trouble they would find. However, he has made do in so many situations he felt secure enough to think he and Jillian could win.

They finally got to see the yard. The original access to the back had been through a door in the kitchen - Jonathan had easily identified the patch job made to cover everything up, and that made no sense at all - so they had to get out and circle the house to the high fence that isolated the yard from the front and the neighbors.

Todd, ever the realtor - or maybe just as extravagant as Drew - went ahead and opened the latch with energy and without second thought. He was in for a surprise.

A gigantic - and that was Jonathan, with his 6,5 feet, talking - mix of doberman and san bernard jumped the startled realtor, both immediately going down on the grass.

Everyone was frozen in place, until other tree dogs followed and started sniffing around. Laughing, the brothers chased after the most daring ones trying to escape. Drew didn’t even complain about the paw prints in his shirt as they herded the dogs inside the yard.

Meanwhile, the titanic dog had happily sat on Todd and slobbered all over him, despite the man’s protests and pushes.

“Jillian, a little help?” The realtor begged with hands disappearing inside the dog’s full coat trying to push him off. The designer merely giggled at his predicament and petted the furry head. “Oh Todd, he likes you!”, and scratched behind his ears.

In the end, it took both brothers to pull the crossbreed off the man. Jonathan loved to death his babies, but he also adored being able to rough house a bit with bigger animals.  

They firmly closed the latch behind them as they explored the yard. It was simply stunning.

The wilderness presented by the overgrown trees and bushes was a natural beauty, and the pound reflected the morning sun just like a painting. Jonathan was both happy and sad that they wouldn’t modify anything there.

“Wow, now that’s just confusing” Todd’s exclamations drew the constructor’s attention back to the job. Jillian’s hiss - as if she was in pain -  was a dreadful warning for what he would find. He stared open mouthed at the dogs’ sleeping area.

“Is that… A renting unit?” Drew cautiously asked, approaching the small house. “They didn’t say anything about it”. Jonathan would have found very amusing that his brother couldn’t accept that the owners had given their dogs a whole house, if said house wasn’t better than the one they just visited.

It was a new building, with perfect paint and a tidy deck. It didn’t have more than 5 years, Jonathan bet.

They entered the one store place and saw hardwood flow throughout the entire room. They saw three different environments separated expertly by levels. They saw built in cabinets with dog food and dog toys in pristine condition - despite the few spread about that the animals were happily chewing. They saw modern wallpaper and stylish skylights. There was a door in the back, and Jonathan would bet his tool belt that it was a bathroom just as gorgeous as everything there.

Despite the expected dog hair and a few paw print here and there, it was, by far, the best thing they had seen in the entire visitation.

“They want you to renovate  _ this _ ?” Drew asked incredulously to his brother, bending down to play tug with a mix of labrador. “It’s already new!”

Jillian rounded the place a bit, looking around just as confused as the realtor. “Maybe they want to turn it into something else?” She mused unconvincily.

Jonathan explored the space with his eyes, there had to be something - there, he saw what he had been looking for. “Oh no. They want this for the dogs,” he assessed with certainty. “Here are the problems they want fixed” and he turned with a silly grin to the door they had just passed and the access to the deck. “They want a special dog door, a ramp instead of the steps and to level out the entire house,” he indicated a small, quiet dog in the corner tugging at a plushie’s ear. The constructor crouched and clicked his tongue with soft eyes, the small pet dutifully trotted in his direction.

“Oh, poor thing,” Jillian cooed as they noticed the wheels supporting the dog’s hind legs. 

Jonathan didn’t outright acknowledge Drew as he laid a hand on his shoulder as the oldest greeted the black furred chihuahua. 

He knew Drew understood.

o.O.o

“You have a decent sized house in a great location with a singular back yard and an isolated unit. Currently, I believe your property is worth $900,000” Todd was telling the retired couple later.

Drew was quite impressed with the tea shop they had found. The view from the outside environment to the lake bellow was perfect. Even though he had ended up sitting next to the couple, as there were only three places on each side of the table. Jonathan’s sly gaze in his direction told the realtor he was aware of the youngest dilema. Drew kicked the other under the table.

At least the sorrowful look from before was gone from his twin’s eyes. He could only imagine what went through Jonathan’s head when he saw a dog just like Gracie in the equivalent of a wheelchair. 

“So, knowing this, what budget are we going to work with to find a better place?” Drew intervened smoothly, giving his most charming smile. 

Cassandra smiled indulgently behind her bulky glasses. “Around a million, dear,” and she patted his arm as if giving life advice.

“That’s a great budget, and I think we can find you something to attend your necessities in that range.” Todd was nodding confidently.

“I know Todd and Drew will show you amazing houses, but wait until you see what Jonathan and I can do to your home! It’s going to look amazing, and you will love it for sure,” Jillian narrated the usual to the couple, directed mainly at Peter. The man, though, seemed confused. “What? If it’s going to look amazing, why would we leave it?”

There was uncomfortable silence from the hosts - even if Drew had to kick Jonathan again to stop the other from rudely snickering - when Cassandra exasperatedly turned to her husband. “No! She said love it, you deaf oaf” she almost shouted in his ear, but the insult carried fondness too.

Drew could relate.

“So, what is our budget to make that happen?” Jonathan controlled himself, a smirk still hanging in the corner of his mouth. Drew tried to kick him again, but the man moved his legs expertly out of the way this time.

“We can give you $110,000,” Peter nodded with a determined expression, looking the constructor in the eye. “I hope you don’t disappoint me, son,” he turned to Jillian then, “I expect great things from you too”.

Some more silence ensured, leaving the hosts tenselly sipping their beverages as the retired couple slowly made their way to the exit, Cassandra with a walking stick, and Peter with a walker.

o.O.o

Jonathan was in a deep bromance with Kenny. It was bro-love at first renovation, totally bromantic.

“Come on! How difficult could it be to take this wall out!” Jillian was ranting at both her constructors.

The men looked at each other with suffering expressions. “Is it always like this?” Jonathan inquired tiredly, ignoring Jillian’s affronted face. 

“Always,” Kenny responded, just as weary.

“I’m still here!”

o.O.o

“As you can see, we have a big living area, flowing directly to the dining room. Everything  is connected to the kitchen in this open-concept layout,” Todd presented, striding around the furniture toward the sliding doors in the back. “And here, we have the foyer - that has heated floors, so it’s perfect for the dogs - and the yard”.

The four arrived on the covered deck and stood silently for some moments taking in the view. The yard wasn’t what the couple had already, but it was close enough.

“Oh, dear,” Cassandra suddenly murmured with deep grief, shaking her head sadly at Todd, drawing alarmed looks from the realtors. “When you said there was this foyer, I thought you meant for when they wanted to spend time with us. But only this for all of them?” She looked horrified by the prospect.

“But think of all the other positives this house has!” Drew quickly redirected. “It has three bedrooms and an office that is easily converted into a playroom for your granddaughter,” he gently touched her frail shoulder, turning her to the interior. “And the main living space is doubtlessly wonderful, with lots of  high built in cabinets and-” a small hand on his arm stilled his rant. He turned to the huge eyes behind the lenses.

“You did very well, dear,” she made as if to pat his cheek, but could only reach his collarbone, so she patted that, “But I’m truly not getting a good impression here.” She turned, grabbing her husband’s arm, and walked out.

Drew smiled fondly at the couple. Their antics reminded him of his own parents sometimes. 

“Next house, then,” Todd followed, upbeat as always. “We will get there,” the shorter reassured both himself and the other.

o.O.o

“-so with the decade old infiltration, we have not only mold, but the structural beans are completely rotten,” Kenny was explaining to a down faced Jillian. “We will have to substitute all of them, because it’s definitely a safety hazard,” Jonathan continued, prodding said bean with a screwdriver and watching in fascinated horror as piece after piece fell off. “It should be around $10,000 to get everything done,” Kenny answered before Jillian could ask.

Jonathan was not surprised to have found such problems on the ceiling upstairs - he had been worried about the reno there - but it sometimes sucked to be right. Let Drew never hear of this.

The oldest twin was already calculating where they could save as not to affect neither the budget nor the renovation, when Jillian huffed defeated. “I will call the owners and asked them to come take a look. They will have to give something up if they can’t come up with more money.” And that made alarm bells sound in Jonathan’s head.

“Wait,” he called, stilling her finger over the call button. “When you say give something up, you mean the high end touches on the kitchen and the completely new flooring on the first floor, right?”

Jillian looked shocked at Jonathan. Even Kenny seemed fearful of the other’s suggestion.

“It’s better to have a few rooms completely renovated to make the owners love them, than to do everything in bad quality!” She explained dumbfounded.

Jonathan smiled cautiously, raising his hands to placate the oncoming storm. “It’s not bad quality. It will look just as fantastic, but cheaper. The floors are in good shape, we could just file them and keep the old charm. The new counter tops don’t need to be marble”. He would have continued, but Jillian interrupted. “That is just masking things up!”

“Believe me, we are adding much value just by fixing the roof and making a bathroom here. It is actually worse to just renovate a few places and leave others untouched, than to update everything with lower priced materials that, franckly, most people can’t even tell apart from the high end.” They faced each other for a few seconds, before Jillian deflated and turned thoughtful. “Okay, I can see that working.”

She went outside to make the call. 

Kenny turned to Jonathan open-mouthed. “I don’t think I have ever seen Jill back down from something.” The tallest constructor shrugged. “I have lived with Drew my entire life. You get used to the stubbornness,” he sighed, as if lost in memories, before continuing. “But, seriously, the market value of a house is really increased if most rooms have been renovated. As long as we don’t stoop so low as to use self-attachable tiles and plastic counters, we will be fine.” Kenny nodded, approving of Jonathan’s expertise, and returned to work.   

Jonathan sent a silent and fickle thanks to his brother’s realtor knowledge.

o.O.o

“No, no, no” Peter was saying, shaking his head somnely. “I’m far too old to suffer insolation.” Drew made to correct the gentleman - with a kind smile, the realtor actually liked this couple and was more amused than exasperated by their critics - when Cassandra beat him to it. “He said in-su-lation! Su, su!” She hit her walking stick to the ground to emphasize her pronunciation. She turned to Todd, porting her charitable smile that Drew was becoming used to get after every property. “It’s lovely, darling. But I think this is not the one for us”.

“Alright,” Todd conceded, hands behind his back and an attentive expression on his face. “What didn’t please you here, so when can avoid it in the next visitations?”

Cassandra indicated the master bedroom door to the right. “It’s just not right to have a bedroom on the east side of the house,” Peter nodded  along with his wife. “Gives bad impression.” And walked out.

Drew and Todd shared pained looks.

o.O.o

Jonathan had done the possible: he had worked double, triple - whatever, it was a lot - hours; he had reduced costs on the luxury materials; he had reused the old floors; he had single-handed renovated old, bitten, chewn, broken, stained pieces of furniture wood into beautiful pieces of art; he had hunted for new windows and doors on sale; he had switched wallpaper, that requires specialized application, for paint - and wasn’t that more work for him to do.

Well, the numbers still didn’t add up.

“We are about a thousand bucks over budget” Jillian was nervously biting her nail, checking the renovation’s expenses. “The leveling up the dog house and the infiltration problem ate up a good chunk of our money”, she huffed, letting her hand go to run it through her hair.

Jonathan looked around the second floor they were renovating. Everything went smoothly on the dog house and on the kitchen - a mild annoyance with mold that was not heath-threatening, thank goodness - but upstairs it was easier to list what wasn’t a problem anymore: the ceiling and external walls.

The plumping was being a pain, what with having to redirect it from the bathroom downstairs passing through the living room’s ceiling and into the wanna be master suit’s wall. The ceramic had already been torn up, just the underlying floor exposed. They had to get the guest room’s wall up. They had to decorated everything.

“And there is nothing we haven’t already started” Jillian continued, distress coloring her voice as she continued to chew on her fingers. “Maybe we can return the new appliances and-” Jonathan gently took her hand from her mouth, interrupting her descent into panic.

“I have a solution” he calmly informed. “That’s great!” Jillian beamed surprised.

He took both her hands in his. “You are not going to like it”. Her smile diminished seeing his dead serious complexion.

It was time to do the impossible.

o.O.o

“-sorry, dear” Cassandra was saying yet again. “But if it’s not an even number, we just can’t live in it”. 

Drew had to suppress a sigh. He found the couple sweet, but they were wearing his patience out with all the details and - franckly - excuses they threw around.

He wasn’t sure how the reno was coming along. His brother was just too busy to even give a call - not that the spoil sport would have told Drew anything - and all Peter kept telling them was how the realtors never would find a house worth moving to and how ‘Johnny’ and ‘Jilly’ would make wonders and he hadn’t heard his brother’s voice in weeks and the over achiever was probably exhausting himself and-

“Oh, come on!” Todd exclaimed good naturedly - although Drew saw a hint of true desperation - gesturing to the glorious property in front of them. “If it’s something so important that doesn’t let you even go take a look, at least tell us why it must be even!”.

The realtors had asked the first time around about such peculiar request. The tearful look Cassandra had sent their direction and Peter’s grave one as he gave his wife a handkerchief and silently shook his head was enough to dissuade the desire to know.

But after 17 failed attempts, in and out of the neighbor, almost all of them inside the budget, all attending at least 6 of the 8 items in the list, even Drew wanted to understand.

This time, instead of tears, Cassandra looked just a bit upset before turning to her husband. “I guess we should tell them”, Peter nodded gravely, laying a hand on her shoulder. It didn’t scape Drew that she had almost whispered and Peter hadn’t had any trouble comprehending her.

Todd and Drew shared surprised looks, before focusing on the elderly. The shorter had been half joking - Drew believes -  when demanding that, but neither regretted the choice. 

“We can’t live in a house with an odd number because-” The realtors stood expectantly. 

“-my son and daughter in law said they wouldn’t allow our grandchild to visit an odd house!” She finished, half angered and half mournful.

The realtors goggled.

“Horrible, indeed” Peter continued, wrongly interpreting the other’s expressions as understanding their predicament. “They said our house was dangerous because of all the things that could easily be grabbed by little Jean and that the space was to small for the dogs and us” he paused, thoughtful. “They said if the house had the porcelain away from curious hands, a space just for her and wasn’t ‘odd’, they would let her come as much as we all want”.

Before Drew could say anything more, the shrill sound of a cell phone interrupted him. Cassandra reached into Peter’s jack pocket and answered for him.

In the meantime, the realtors exchanged flabbergasted expressions. Drew was out of words and Todd seemed torn between explaining to the owners what their son probably meant and patting their shoulder sadly.

“Okay, darling” Cassandra was saying into the flip-open cell - Drew hadn’t seem one in years. “We will be right there, Jillian. We are just finishing a visit with the boys here”.

“Something wrong with the reno?” Drew asked with concern. He knew those intimately.

“She said there was something we had to take a look” Cassandra serenely informed. “Last time they showed us some problems with the ceiling” Peter added shrugging a bit. “ They managed to fix it without interfering with the modifications” he commented with a pleased smile.

“Well, she sounded a bit distressed, you simpleton” Cassandra replied, patting her husband’s arm, the off handed insult sounding just like any other endearment she uttered to everyone else, just more sincere.

“Since this was the last house today, you should get going” Todd suggested. “We will search for more properties, but maybe you should think about the ones you have seen already, or maybe revise your list…” He proposed hopefully.

The couple nodded absently minded and moved to their antique car, Cassandra taking the steering wheel and slowly driving off.

They moved to Todd’s pick up. Drew had gotten unused to being a passenger - he always drove between the twins - and made for the driver’s side. He grabbed the door handle and pulled open. He froze.

He turned to Todd’s amused expression, the shorter seemed to have a ready answer sitting in his tongue. 

“Please, sir” Drew recovered, holding the door open for Todd. “Yes, thank you, kind sir” the other replied, laughter hiding in the corner of his mouth. 

When both had gotten their seat belts on, they signed and stared ahead. “Every time, Drew” Todd murmured.

“I know, sorry. It’s habit” the tallest answered smiling sheepishly. 

“No, not that” Todd reassured, cracking a smile. “I mean, always the same things about the houses. It’s almost as if she didn’t want to move!” They stayed in introspect silence.

“Maybe she doesn’t” Drew supposed. “She insults their house” he reasoned, waving randomly, “but she also insults Peter every opportunity she gets.”

Todd made a considering sound in his throat. He turned the ignition on and pulled into the street, “that makes sense”. He drove a few blocks. “But she is always insulting the houses we show” he prodded, challenging.

“So maybe she is playing us” Drew assumed, a teasing tone coloring his words, “and has already chosen a house”. Todd chuckled, making a turn. He abruptly stopped.

“Isn’t that their car?” He inquired, worry and puzzlement making his voice higher. The blue old Ford was parked to the right, smoke rising from the open hood. The couple stood to the side, Cassandra talking in the phone with the same serenity she did everything else, Peter mournfully gazing at the overheated - even in winter- car.

Todd pulled over ahead of them.

“Hey, guys “ Drew approached. “Car problem, I can see” he didn’t dare look closer, he understood very little of engines. “Do you need help?” Todd offered as Cassandra closed the phone.

“Don’t worry, dears” she smiled and patted Todd’s cheek. “I called the insurance company and they sent a truck to tow it”.

“ Are you sure? We could give you a ride home after they take the car away" Todd insisted.

“That’s a good idea, Cass” Peter told his wife. “We should really see what Jillian wanted to show us".

In the end, the couple ended in the pick up’s back seats - Drew willingly helped both reach their seats, as Todd holded their walking stick and walker.

The realtors shared grins as Drew closed the door behind Peter. They would see the competition’s work.

Drew was excited as Todd turned to the elderlies home and made small talk. He would get to see what Jonathan had been up to.

They pulled in front of the house, where there was construction material and tools tiddly piled up - not Jonathan’s work, Drew would bet his favorite suit - and after some maneuvers to get the owners out of the car, they moved to the new - beautiful, definitely Jon’s touch in the crafted details - front door.

“Jillian?” Cassandra shouted as soon as the door closed. The sound carried easily through the glamorous new ground floor, and not just because the woman had experience at shouting for her husband’s benefit, but because it was shaping up to be a well managed open concept with potential to be a true home.

Sure, there was not furniture, and there were still marks of the drywall, but it was just a matter of painting and displaying. Even the floors where done, they had been filed and varnished with a darker color. Drew could see a corner of brand new cabinets in the much modern kitchen.

“Down in the basement!” Jonathan yelled back, voice muffled by the floor between them. A few moments and some stomps later the constructor appeared, dust covering him head to waist and water soaking him waist to toes.

Cassandra and Peter exchanged surprised looks. “We have a basement?” Cassandra inquired, wide eyed, at her husband. “Apparently" Peter commented, scratching his head.

“If you have never been in the basement, where does your heater stay?” Drew had to ask, as none of the four hosts had seem an underground area during the first visit.

“We put it in the west side of the house" Peter pointed.

“Yes, there is a basement” Jonathan tiredly confirmed. “We found it when a pipe broke due to frozen water and we dug after it" he indicated the pool he was making where he stood. “We managed to stop the leak, but it flooded everything down there".

Jonathan threw a quick glance at Todd and Drew, but he was too stressed to say anything else besides inform the owners the work to be done to make the house safe.

They followed him through the house - it was really coming together beautifully- and exited across the new door in the kitchen - and what a kitchen it would be, Drew internally admired the craftsmanship and design - and saw the backyard.

It was a disaster. There were men and equipment all around; mud from the flood underground; new and old pipes laying around; and pumps seemed to be draining from a broken and uncovered door on the ground.

They cautiously approached the hole and Jonathan flashed a light down. They saw a 5 feet high space, that extended under the whole house, with 2 feet of muddle water.

“It must have started sometime around 2 weeks ago, when the temperatures really began dropping" Jonathan was telling his horrified audience. “We found it when water pools formed there on the yard" he indicated a depression on the ground, roughly on the same level as the basement. “We searched for the water origin - it hasn’t rained in weeks - and the only explanation was a broken pipe. So we dug around the pool and looked for the most wet sides” he sadly nodded at the discovered room. “We got here and found a passway hidden by a thin sheet of sand and grass, and found the problem in an rusty copper pipe there". The light landed on a corner in the wall, where a modern plastic pipe now sat. “Since it soaked the yard, it means there is infiltration, so we will have to look into that”.

Jonathan gave the owners time to process the information a bit, before continuing. “We were lucky, actually. It’s recent enough not to have damaged anything structural and it wasn’t too extense, so it didn’t take that much work to change everything” he gave an encouraging smile. “Besides, only the lower half of the basement seems to have bad water proofing, since it’s roof and beans supporting the house are intact. So it should be less work to fix it”. He was totally trying to uplift their spirits before sucker punching them about the budget they totally blew in just one room, Drew unhappily mused.

They wouldn’t be able to finish the reno and would either have an unfinished house to live or sell it really low because of all the problems. Drew was getting very stressed for the owners and his own inability to help this time around, since it was out of his hands.

“Oh, so that’s what Jill wanted to show us” Peter observed crestfallen, hands tight on his walker as he bended slightly to peer deeper in the basement. 

Jonathan, though, quickly shook his head, a smile blooming in his face. “No, no” he waved their concerns away. “This was just something I came across and had to show you because it might delay our initial timeline” he pointed to the men milling about. “I called the plumper and he said the pipe was from the road’s main network, even though it was in your property, so this is not being paid by us” he smuggly adjusted his hair. “Jill is upstairs and waiting for you” he nodded to them, and went back down in the hole.

Todd and Drew observed everything slack jawed. They both had been certain the reno was to be over with such heavy manpower and equipments, but Jonathan and Jillian had everything under control.

“You guys go see Jillian” Drew suggested, after quickly shaking off the bewilderment. He indicated the passway his brother went through. “I have to talk to him for a moment”.

The couple and Todd went back inside the house, the realtor looking quite impressed with the renos and telling that to the elders. Cassandra sounded as unenthusiastic as she could when pointing out it was their job to get the house to look like that, and Peter expressed with as much pride as he could when replying to Todd that his old 1960 Ford was better than any of the newer Renault out there.

Meanwhile, Drew carefully climbed down the aged stairs. He stopped in the last step before the water level. The oldest stood awkwardly bended on the other side - it was really low for them there - apparently inspecting the pumps’ functioning. The youngest warilly watched the nasty water - if one drop got on his clothes, there would be trouble. 

“Hey” the realtor called out, waving to get his brother’s attention. “I see you have everything under control” he offhandedly remarked.

Jonathan chuckled, tweaking here and there with the equipment, before walking carefully through to the water to get to his brother. He observed Drew’s positions with interest, eyes calculatingly plotting. “Yes, would you like to take a closer look?” he asked mischievously, making as if to grab Drew. 

The youngest skillfully retreated, but hit his head on the low ceiling. Jonathan hissed in sympathy. “I’ve been doing that since yesterday morning” he knocked a bean a few times. He looked around thoughtfully as Drew recovered. “Everything is going as expected, which is good” he started telling the now attentive twin. “A few problems in the second floor, but we managed it. I’m just surprised we didn’t find asbestos in the pipes, with such an old house”.

“That’s good. Peter’s family has lived here for generations. Who knows what might have happened if something like that was here for so long”. Drew agreed grimly, before more lightheartedly addressing his brother. “How is the personnel here? Most of them are from Kenny’s crew, I heard” Drew inquired, knowing most of Jonathan’s usual partners couldn’t make too easily across the border due to distance and bureaucracy.

“Very professional and competent, he assembled very good workers” Jonathan complimented the other constructor. “How is working with Todd? I guess you guys have been relying more on his contacts than yours” he asked teasingly, trying - and failing - to diminish the other’s importance.

“We are managing our contacts just fine, thank you” he brushed his brother’s veiled insult off with a shrug, going as far as sweeping imaginary dust from his shoulder. Jonathan tried to pretend no to be amused, but Drew threw him a knowing glance.

The constructor kicked some water on the other’s leather shoes.

“Hey!” The realtor retreated a few steps up with a laugh. “When you come asking for clothes from  _ mine  _ wardrobe, you will get everything you’ve ever stained, teared or broken!” He climbed the rest of the steps to the yard, straightening his posture and suit.

Jonathan climbed after him smirking - such a crude man with no taste for clothing.

They took a moment to observe the men working around. A few glanced briefly in the twin’s direction, probably noticing Drew’s out of place suit next to Jonathan’s dirty plaid.

“And you? Good?” Drew casually asked, gazing at the pound. He had noticed the dark circles under his twin’ eyes, the tired slope of his shoulders, the general lack of energy that people would have mistaken for Jonathan usual quietness.

“I’m working around 16 hours daily, even weekends. I have three 15 minutes break in the entire day. I have been living from my suitcase for 4 weeks. I haven’t seen my dogs in 3" Drew nodded along to his brother's list of problems. All usual for him at this point in their line of work. 

“And I haven’t had the usual help I get for ideas and such" the constructor added as a second thought, shrugging as he pulled his work gloves off.

Drew stood silent for a few moments - torn between also shrugging or grabbing his brother in a hug- and chose middle ground.

“I miss too some inputs here and there" he bumped against the older’s side.

A few moments later and they turned together to the house - Drew totally digs the emotional setting, just not enough to let it stand for too long.

“Go take the peek I know you want to on the second floor" the constructor actually made to kick his brother, who went with a laugh and raised hands.

Drew didn’t waste time climbing the stairs, and arrived to the sound of Todd’s amused giggles - honest to goodness giggles.

He found a completely unexpected scene. Jillian was on her knees, a hammer and floor fixer in hands, laying down the engineered wood.

The designer wore - and Drew didn’t have another name for it - constructor clothes, with tick jeans, work boots, tools belt and a plaid shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was covered in a thin layer of dust, probably part of the drywall.

“So that’s how Jonathan kept the project on budget!” Drew couldn’t help exclaming, drawing another fit from Todd. Jillian pouted, brushing hair out of her face and looking unamused. “Ha, ha, ha" she mock laughed at Todd. “Labor is one of the greatests expenses in a reno. Having someone to do it for free with Jon is a great idea”. She huffed, and went back to work, adjusting a piece of wood before expertly hitting it to get in place - she had been doing that for many hours apparently.

“C’mon, Todd" Drew called, waving at Jillian with a smile, who waved back with a grin. “Let’s leave them to work, we still have to woo the owners" and the realtor immediately cringed.

The realtors exited to Jillian’s triumphant laugh.

Later, Todd would tell Drew that Jillian wanted the owners to choose the color pallet for the rooms. And that Peter had said if anyone put pink on the master, he would be moving out unconditionally.

o.O.o

“We have to find the new furniture for the master, guestroom and living room” Jillian was reminding Jonathan as they strolled through the store.

“How much do we have again?” He teasingly questioned, although there was true worry on his mind.

Jillian patted Leo’s head as she turned to the constructor. “1500 bucks" she beamed at him. “I trust you can keep us on budget". She cooed at her strapped son as he sleepily blinked awake. “And look who just woke up!” She caressed his capped head as she jungled him a bit.

Jonathan stared amused as Jillian murmured with a baby voice to her son. It was a first for him to have a colleague take children to work, but it seemed they were both used to the routine as the boy didn’t looked fazed at all by his predicament.

“Right, maybe he can keep his mon under control" Jonathan chuckled as he ran a finger against a plump and soft cheek. His finger was promptly snatched and nibbled on.

“ No, no, baby boy. Don’t put strange things in your mouth" and took away Jonathan’s hand.

“I resent that" he informed, though Jillian paid him no mind.

They hunted through the store for the  furniture. Jillian and - he admitted - Jonathan were drawn to the clean, modern pieces, that had style and personality. Those were the most expensive.

So they became creative. Jillian understood enough about adapting objects to other functions and Jonathan made that an art.

The store had both new and used materials, so they orbitated towards the latter. 

After almost half and hour, a few fused squirmins from Leo - that prompted a exchange of laps, allowing Jonathan to discover he totally rocked the baby carrier with a baby in it- they managed to get everything they needed

“I think we even saved some bucks" Jillian commented, checking her tablet with the expenses. Jonathan was making faces at Leo, that, to the constructor’s amusement and consternation, only looked confused. “ Keep him entertained a few minutes more and we can go".

The designer went to talk to one of the clerks to put their order in. Meanwhile, the constructor wasted no time in taking a selfie and sending it to his brother, proclaiming to put on the babysitter's look like a pro.

The reply was something unexpected.

o.O.o

Drew and Todd grew desperate after every visit they had. There was nothing to sway Peter’s opinion as not even Cassandra approved any of the houses. And why would they? Jonathan and Jillian were outgoing themselves on this renovation!

They had dodged a bullet, since the city was paying for the water damages in the basement. And they had Jonathan on their team, who was quite apt at stretching budgets - though Drew wouldn’t say that to his brother ever.

They also seemed to have insane amounts of lucky, what with not having any more serious problems.

Truth be told, Drew believed -deep inside- from the beginning that the couple shouldn’t move. After all, he and Jonathan had found so many fixer uppers and made them true homes, it was easy spotting a potential property. The location was usually the main concern, as was Cassandra’s and Peter’s case.

Todd and Drew had finished visiting a property, to see the details people didn’t list and that the owners would look for. As expected, it didn’t fit the specific criteria the realtors were working with.

They stood silent on the walkway, observing the eventual car on the quiet street. 

“I think we’ve done what we could" Drew concluded. “We saw every property in their paying range, that was in an interesting area for them and that attended most of their necessities" he indicated the house they just visited. “If it was supposed to be a fixer upper, they could certainly make it just as they desired it, but since we are looking at move in-ready houses…” He thoughtfully trailed off.

“I think you are right" Todd nodded. “There is still some days for the reno’s finishing date, but I guess that might be it" he nonchalantly put his hands on his pockets. “If their house does please them, then what matters is their happiness". Drew knew Todd liked having one over Jillian, but it also was clear the main concern was the owner’s confort.

“Exactly" the tallest agreed. They moved to the pick up - the twin did not move for the driving side, though he did take one step in that direction before correcting himself.

As soon as they were seated, Todd’s cell ringed. With a brief look at Drew, who hinted at him to go ahead, he answered.

Drew turned to his own phone - despite protesting Jon’s and Linda’s teasing, he was aware that he might check it more than most people, but it was his main business conductor, so he was justified- and promptly opened his facebook.

A few fan comments answered and some pages liked later, Todd’s conversation ended up drawing Drew’s attention.

“No problem. I can be there in fifteen" he was nodding to the cell. “ I will need to give Drew a lift to the hotel first, but it shouldn’t take too long”.

“Hey" the tallest called with a smile, Todd turned to him, putting a hand on the speaker. “Don’t worry about me. You can just drop me somewhere taxis pass”.

Todd seemed ready to answer, but the other person on the line got his attention. “Yeah? Okay, sure. I will ask.” He laughed, entertained, throwing a mischievous look at Drew before turning to the gadget. “Bye, love you too”. He hang up and beamed up at the other. “How do you feel about pizza?”.

Drew wasn't sure what was going on, but if it had pizza involved and caused such an expression on the other’s face, it couldn’t be anything bad.

“I love pizza".

In the end, Drew got to meet the Talbot family. Rebecca was enchanting, beautiful and witty. The kids were adorable, Ashley with shining eyes behind her glasses and Kessler with a constant plotting grin.

The children, like many others, were entranced by his height - not that Todd wasn’t tall, since he was only a few inches shorter than the brothers-  so he indulged them, under both parents amused and exasperated looks, either lifting or throwing giggling small people.

It only seemed right to reply Jonathan’s picture with an adorable baby with another.

Rebecca took the picture with his cell as he hoisted Kessler in an arm and Ashley in the other, all three smiling widely to the camera.

o.O.o

Jillian hadn’t been this excited about showing the owners their house in some time. This was one of the rare cases in which she had managed to do all her list.

Well, Jonathan and her, really.

The brothers were amazing - just like their show, Jillian had watched at least half of all their seasons- fun, smart, polite and gorgeous.

Jonathan, who she got to know better, was not only a very efficient constructor - that, amazingly, didn’t complain about every single thing like someone she knew- but a very stylish designer. He had graduated in that, he later told her.

And the ability to stretch budgets! Jillian’s reno had never had that many things done within that amount of money. That put her way of doing things in perspective.

They waited Cassandra and Peter by the new front entrance. No more dog toys spread about, all of them in the dog house in the yard - and what a dog house, Jonathan managed to somehow salvage the floorboards from the lower levels and use them again when leveling things up, and apparently that was amazing.

“I am really excited about this house" she was telling Jon. “We did an amazing job here" she patted his arm, since she would have to stretch a little to reach his shoulder.

He smirked and shrugged. “Yeah, we did. Let’s see if it will be enough to keep them here". He indicated the slowly approaching couple. “Here they come".

They flew through the niceties, and started the tour.

The couple seemed impressed enough. Cassandra commented about the built ins where her pieces lay, and Peter might have smiled slightly at the filed floor. The kitchen, like in all the renovated houses, was an awe inspiring view.

Jillian and Jonathan showed them the main floor - the realtors had been looking at one store houses, Todd had bragged when pointing their inability to make the house so during his visit to the second floor. When they went up, the owners immediately noticed the shorter steps and wider platforms.

Jillian was very proud of the upstairs, not just because she had put all the floor and the wallpaper there, but because it was both practical, beautiful and comfortable.

Still, nothing got the owners emotional.

The dog house did.

“Oh dear" Cassandra murmured with tears in her eyes, bracing herself on Peter’s arm. “Now sweet Lila will roll as much as she wants here” she turned to the love it team. “Thank you so much".

Jillian was a bit startled when Jonathan moved to hug the older woman, bending to reach her frail shoulders and gently embrace her.

Jillian was the tiniest bit jealous of Cassandra.

The designer promptly hugged her too.

“Now Todd  and Drew are waiting outside for you guys". Jillian dissipated the heavy air, indicating the varanda where the realtors waited.

The couple went outside, Jillian and Jonathan high fived - he only made her jump a little.

o.O.o

“Jillian and Jonathan made an impressive work here” Todd was complimenting the work, all folur standing in the fresh cutted grass. “ They attended all your wishes on the list…” He trailed of. “But they can’t give you more square feet.” Drew continued. “The house still has the same size, and the last property we saw almost had space doubled for you, your son’s family and your dogs”.

“We can’t argue with that" Cassandra agreed.

“We are gonna give you some time to consider” Todd said, as Drew got his cell. “But before, here is the new estimated valor of your property". The owners gathered closer and nodded approvingly of the worth. The renovation had increased the price in 210,000 bucks.

The realtors entered the dog house to meet the others as the couple discussed in the yard.

Todd had had so much fun on this last weeks! It had been a blast working with the brothers.

He had watched, out of curiosity, some of their episodes when they started airing on Canada, mainly because they were becoming references for property oriented entertainment. His family had been with him at the time in the living room. 

The brothers had gotten four more fans that day.

The first meeting in that hotel all those weeks ago had gotten Todd very excited, so it was expected to be very marking. The twins were even better than Todd could have expected, not just fun and professional, but were also very good people from what the realtor gathered.

He and Drew had worked perfectly during the house hunting. The twin did not have qualms about visiting up to 20 properties a day, nor looking at things with renovation in perspective. That wasn’t a surprise, since the base of the man’s program had been finding fixer uppers.

Rebecca and the kids had also adored Drew. It had been no hassle bringing the man to have pizza with his family, since they all were fans and would love to get to know him.

His wife had later told him the tallest realtor was very charming as she winked playfully at him through their bathroom mirror. The kids loved anything that was tall and that they could climb, so obviously they had fun with the man too - Todd was only slightly jealous of Drew’s capability of lifting each child with an arm, since it had been some time since the kids were small enough for him to do that.

He sided up to Jillian and Jonathan. The four of them exchanged looks, especially the brothers- they always did that, it was as if they were reading each other’s mind - and the love it team seemed confident, if Jill’s corked smile was anything to go by.

“The house is gorgeous" Todd told them, sincerely - it was amazing really. “I know" Jillian smuggly answered, and Todd couldn’t resent her crooning.

“I think they are gonna stay" Drew whispered between the hosts, an accepting tone in his voice - Todd had realised early on that the realtor’s competitivity wasn’t just for show, the brothers did  take challenges seriously.

“It is likely" Jonathan agreed. “Cassandra was very moved by the dog house" and the twins threw each other those synced looks.

Jon probably understood what meant loving a pet like it was a child, and Drew must know his brother better than anyone.

“I think they are done" Jillian called, peering around Drew’s arm at the door.

o.O.o

The four hosts sat awkwardly at a local cafe, sipping different beverages.

The silence stood for some time more, before Jonathan chucked and Drew snickered.

“That was surprising" the constructor absently minded sipped his cappuccino.

“Surprising?!” Jillian indignantly squealed, putting her mug down none too gently. “They did list it, but they moved out of the country!” She sounded injured, but the smile gracing her lips told them her amusement at the out come.

“Technically, we won" Todd taunted, to Jillian’s consternation. “Technically, you didn’t, because you didn’t find the house they are moving to" she whipped back, and the realtor sheepishly sipped his green tea.

“Since no one won, no one lost, too" Drew reasoned, lifting his cup. “Cheers" the four clinked their cups together. The realtor looked over his cup’s brim. “Though they didn’t love it". Jonathan looked at him unamused for a moment, before turning the rest of his drink in Drew’s iced tea, ruining it.

Drew didn’t even protest, just allowed the laughs to wash over him.

After they calmed down, Jonathan smiled up at the couple. “You know, when you decide to visit the States again, make sure to come see us".

“Yes” Drew immediately jumped in. “You could always make a special appearance".

Todd and Jillian looked at each other, interest marking their faces.

“Sounds fun to me".

The End.


End file.
